ODF Implementation Approach to mitigate hardships faced by migrants

Mental Health issues: In addition to being exposed to various risk factors for mental disorders, migrants often face barriers to access to adequate health care to address these issues. Some of the biggest challenges for migrant populations in the United States of America include: lack of knowledge of health care rights and health systems; poor knowledge of the language; different belief systems and cultural expectations of health care; and the general lack of trust in experts and in government. The rates of depressive and anxiety disorders usually increase over time, and poor mental health is associated with poor socioeconomic conditions - particularly with social isolation and unemployment. Acculturative stress often implies a high discrepancy in the acculturation between parents and their children. This dislocation of families in new conditions has been caused by the different degrees of acceptance of "new culture" by children and parents, which causes serious difficulties, especially in bilingual terms.

Education: Many migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East are continually facing cultural and language barriers that cause difficulties in obtaining both employment and education. Most of the young men and women from migrant communities have low academic achievement due to underdeveloped or entirely nonexistent education programs in their respective countries of origin. Without a systematic guidance program, the migrants youths end up disillusioned due to under achievement, which leads to frustrations and psychological consequences. The mission of the One Dollar Foundation is to design a program where the migrants would go for counselling and encouragement as well as motivation. ODF will recruit highly experienced volunteers diligently selected from established former migrants. ODF offices would be open for any migrants who may need help with school enrollment, after-school tutoring and mentoring for their children.

Employment: Rates of unemployment among young and old migrants from these regions is among the highest in the United States. This is mostly the result of persistent conflict in the respective countries they fled from, which denied most of them a chance to acquire formal education. Once in the United States of America, many are unable to pursue education because they feel too embarrassed to join grades where they have to study with students who are much younger than them. The issue of language is a huge impediment and is crosscutting. It forms the biggest bottleneck standing in the way of quick adaptation of the migrants. The result is high numbers of dropouts who are unemployable in the long run. The consequence is that the migrants are exposed to the risk of involvement with alcohol, drugs or violent gangs. One Dollar Campaign in close collaboration with funding partners will promote and provide programs that help create financial independence, a safe haven and positive role models to mitigate this growing trend. ODF will promote Skills Training to elevate the chances of the migrants, young and old, of obtaining and retaining employment.

Accommodation: Housing presents a special challenge due to large family size, language barrier and lack of understanding of local housing practices. This results in overcrowding, evictions, complaints about fair housing practices and, at times, allegations of corruption. ODF seeks to intervene on behalf of the migrants, by providing programs where the migrants are educated on housing practices in their new settings.

SSI: Senior citizens face special challenges and a higher risk of losing health care. Many refugees qualify for special Social Security Income (SSI) as they work toward U.S. citizenship. Those who do not attain citizenship within 7 years risk losing their SSI benefits including medical coverage. This requirement often results in termination of benefits for the elderly, who are already finding it difficult to learn a new language and culture.

Language Skills: ODF will initiate a program targeting newly arrived migrants with the goal to facilitate and equip them with basic skills of communication in the English language. The program would kick off with an intensive six- month’s language program leading to the understanding and use of the English language through bi-weekly classes. In these classes, reading and writing is taught as well as oral communication. The migrants will learn grammar and vocabulary as well as how to apply it within an American context. The migrants will also be exposed to the American culture and other aspects of American life.

Employment Assistance in pursuit of the American Dream: As mentioned before, many migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East face an uphill task in finding work because of low skill levels, cultural and language constraints. As a solution, ODF will provide classes focused on job search techniques, basic computer skills, resume writing and proper interview etiquette to improve the chances of securing a job. The migrants will also be encouraged to create more jobs through creation of small enterprises. ​By so doing, the migrants will be able to contribute to the development of the economies of their respective states and communities. ODF believes that that this would serve to enhance the confidence and motivation of the migrant communities, especially the young men and women among them, to overcome their constraints and pursue the American dream.

Housing: As pointed out, new migrants find it difficult to find and enter into negotiations with landlords and ladies, mostly because of limited English communication skills. Understandably, they find the housing contracts strange and the forms are quite tedious. ODF will intervene to make their lives bearable by providing assistance in searching for housing and filling out the necessary paperwork as well as intervening wherever conflict arises between the parties in regard to the tenancy contracts.

Legal Advocacy: With all of the legal procedures that entail becoming a U.S. citizen, many migrants are often afflicted by fatigue along the process and some opt out. The transition from a migrant refugee to a US citizen is quite rigorous. Add that to the already existing hurdles they face of language and cultural barrier, and you get quite an insurmountable situation. ODF will assist in this regard, by providing legal advocacy services to ensure that the legal rights of the migrants are being upheld throughout the process.

Building youth migrant self-esteem, confidence and determination: Cognizant that the young migrants are the blocks that will form the future of America, ODF will put emphasis in ensuring that young migrants between the age of 10-25 are adequately guided from arrival until when they are satisfactorily settled into the American society. This is a process that requires systematic guidance through education, skills training, confidence building and integration. It also involves character formation through inculcating American values through the use of role models. Above all, ODF will focus on boosting the young migrant’s self-determination, esteem and confidence by helping students overcome language, culture and psychological barriers that may hinder their social and academic success.

Programs Management: ODF will set up offices in states where migrant communities have settled, where experienced social officers will run day-to-day operations of the organization. The officer will have the capability to manage cases with the help of volunteers to ensure that the migrants are satisfactorily served to reduce their difficulties.

Social Media platforms: ODF will also open social media platforms to enable better interaction by reducing on the need to physically present at the ODF offices. The social media accounts will be promoted to ensure that as many migrants as possible get to know that help is only a ‘tweet away’ as utilize the resources for their own good. Through this decentralized approach, issues such as legal, housing and employment services would be tackled and migrants would be assured of assistance. The social officers would receive the migrants and record their cases before referring them to the right place, and where need be, provide them with logistical support. ODF would also work and coordinate closely with government agencies and line not-for-profit organizations. Here, services provided in this way include ESL courses, referral to medical services (facilitate appointments), social service referrals, youth enrollment in school and after school programs, housing referrals and assistance, legal aid referrals etc.

Social activities: ODF will encourage and promote multicultural activities like games and cultural competitions aimed at fostering interactions between the migrants and other communities where they have settled. The logic here would be to close the gaps between migrants and those the communities they find in the respective states so as to accelerate integration, especially the youth migrants. The interactions would also serve as a crime prevention module where the young people would interact and create friendships and relationships.

Recreation: Recreational programs motivate the migrant youths to connect with the community at large to create a strong bond of friendship and instill a sense of belonging. Programs such as sports, drama, bowling, science and math competitions and spelling contests among other activities serve to shape character, personality and skills of growing migrants.

Community Involvement: Community involvement will be engineered through volunteer groups, religious groups, boys and Girl Scout clubs which are aimed at creating the opportunity to interact with the community in a holistic manner. The community would be involved in shaping the youth through bringing together new migrants and already settled former migrants as well as Native Americans through interactions where ideas are exchanged and bonds formed.